


Deliberate

by poeticname



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Birthday, Canon Related, Developing Friendships, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 08:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1738511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poeticname/pseuds/poeticname
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Inui regains his regular jersey but before he plays in a tournament again, his birthday happens. The event is marked by small presents, juice, and trying to predict a certain underclassman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deliberate

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Inui! As you are my favorite Tenipuri character to write about, I wrote a fic about you in celebration. Funny how these things work.
> 
> I feel this isn't my best work, it's a bit rough still, but I wanted to post it on June 3rd itself so here it is. I hope somebody can find enjoyment in it.

When Inui wakes up, both his mother and father have left for work and there is breakfast, a gift-wrapped box, and a letter on the kitchen table.

He sits down, starts on breakfast, and opens the letter.

It contains ten thousand yen and a card that reads as follows: "Happy birthday Sadaharu. You are growing up so fast these days and we are very proud of you. Love, Mom & Dad."

It's written completely in his mother's handwriting, so Inui will thank her in person later. He doesn't bother with the box at the moment because there's a one hundred percent chance it's the exact external hard drive he asked for and he doesn't have time to set it up at the moment. He will thank her for that too. If he sees his father, he will thank him for the money.

Birthdays aren't that big of a deal in his house. "Consistent routine" has been his mother's favorite concept since long before Inui was born, and it's only in small things like this that the routine is broken.

Still, Inui is pleased with the gift and the money, and even the admittedly generic card.

Birthdays are all about the small things, he thinks.

\---

Inui has contemplated many times whether it's logical or illogical to be happy about one's birthday, but he hasn't found an answer and he can't control the fact that it puts him in a better mood anyways.

It's logical to feel content on a fine morning such as this one anyways. The air is chilly but the sun is warm, there aren't many cars at this hour, and Kaidoh has actually agreed to meet Inui for a morning jog. For the past few days it was a bit of a game of cat-and-mouse, with Inui attempting to intercept Kaidoh's jogging routes then predicting where Kaidoh would jog the day after he was intercepted.

But yesterday, Kaidoh told him to be upfront if he wanted to run with him, and so this morning meeting up is a part of Kaidoh's schedule too. 

This was not part of the behavior pattern Inui predicted, but it helped his newest plan along more quickly than the predicted outcome did.

If he continues to exceed Inui's expectations, Kaidoh will be an excellent doubles partner.

Inui arrives at the first park he cornered Kaidoh in at precisely five-twenty-six according to Inui's watch, whis is four minutes ahead of schedule. He finds Kaidoh already there, standing off to the side of the path and fiddling with the top of his water bottle.

"Good morning," Inui calls out to him, and Kaidoh looks up without being startled.

"Good morning, senpai," he answers.

"Would you like to follow your usual route?" Inui gestures down the road.

"Yes," Kaidoh answers, a small nod accompanying it.

"Then let's go."

The two set off at the pace Kaidoh prefers, and Inui pulls out his stopwatch as he always does on his morning jog, logging in a lap. He'll note down the times later and whether running with Kaidoh as opposed to alone seems to have any effect.

Kaidoh's eyes are drawn away from ahead of him to look at the stopwatch. His face doesn't move otherwise, but Inui gets the impression he's curious.

"I'm timing myself, not you," he supplies.

Kaidoh's eyebrows move downwards, but he doesn't speak. Either he doubts Inui's sincerity or his inquiry was different.

On a less pleasing morning, such a mis-guess would have Inui questioning his abilities to evaluate his data. But it is Inui's birthday, what he can see of the sky is quite nice, and he has company.

It's easy to push doubt to the side, in face of that.

He's been wrong about Kaidoh's behavior in the past anyways, if the fact that they're jogging together now is anything to judge by.

\---

When they reach the school, they stop for a cooldown near the vending machines.

Kaidoh takes his bandana off to run a towel over his hair as Inui writes down what he timed this morning, as well as various observations he wants to remember for later.

The times are the most useful things he records. His notes on Kaidoh's level of exertion are useful as well. That factor was much easier to observe from up close. The note that Kaidoh changes bandanas in the morning is not very useful but Inui finds it interesting. He hasn't had the occasion to observe that before.

When Inui records Kaidoh's interest in his stopwatch, he looks up again to watch Kaidoh re-tying his bandana.

It would be a good time to ask what that interest was about.

Inui finds himself a bit reluctant to ask something so upfront and stares at the vending machines instead.

"Do you want something?" he asks without looking at Kaidoh.

Kaidoh looks up at him with mild confusion, "Want what?"

Inui gestures to the vending machines, "A drink. One hundred percent of humans want to drink after they exercise. I realize you brought water, but a good majority of middle school-aged boys would want something other than water."

Kaidoh looks down at the ground, "I'm fine."

"Are you quite sure?" Inui tilts his head to the side in spite of how silly he believes this gesture to be. "I'm your senpai and I'm feeling generous today, surely it would be profitable for you to accept."

Kaidoh frowns silently, approaching the vending machine. The "senpai" card is always quite effective with him.

Inui walks up to Kaidoh's side, observing as Kaidoh's eyes scan over the options. He seems to hover over the cheaper drinks, which Inui almost says isn't necessary until Kaidoh points at a bottle of orange juice.

"This is fine, right?"

"Sure," Inui answers, pushing a few coins into the slot.

Kaidoh bends down to grab his drink, and when he comes up again, he bows his head to Inui.

"Thanks."

Inui thinks he smiles slightly.

"You're welcome."

The two take off again in the direction of the tennis courts. There's no need to discuss this destination. They're both very aware practice is starting soon.

Kaidoh uncaps his juice and takes a long sip. Inui idly watches his throat move, until he looks up to find Kaidoh with that curious look again.

Inui isn't letting the second time pass him by.

"What are you wondering about?"

Kaidoh frowns.

"I won't think anything you ask is rude," Inui continues. "I ask rude questions all the time."

He relaxes slightly, and Inui congratulates himself for getting it right this time.

Still, they walk in silence a moment more.

"Why were you feeling generous?"

"Hm?"

Inui looks at Kaidoh to find him looking at him this time. Inui knows they aren't making true eye contact, his glasses are in the way, but it feels like that to him.

"You don't seem to do anything without a reason," Kaidoh says. He doesn't feel the need to say when he observed this.

Inui looks ahead again, thinking that Kaidoh could make a good data player if he were better at math. He scratches at the back of his neck.

"I'm in a good mood," Inui admits. "It's my birthday."

Kaidoh's eyebrows raise a bit, "Really?"

Inui nods, "Yes."

Kaidoh frowns down at his uncapped drink, "Then I should be treating you."

"It's alright," Inui insists as they reach the clubroom door. "I told you I was feeling generous."

Kaidoh's frown doesn't go away and he doesn't answer, but before Inui can continue, Kaidoh opens the clubroom and leaves Inui in the doorway.

\---

There are three people who remember Inui's birthday this year: Oishi, Eiji, and Taka. Oishi apparently remembers from last year, the chances Oishi reminded Eiji earlier are one hundred percent, and Taka is likely a case similar to Oishi. 

Regardless, he receives presents from all of them. Some nice pens as a collaborative present from Oishi and Eiji, and a hand-written Kawamura Sushi coupon from Taka. This is more than Inui was expecting, and he hopes they can tell he genuinely appreciates it.

Fuji wishes Inui a happy birthday too when Eiji tells him about it. Inui wonders if Fuji would have gotten him a gift yielding useful data if he'd known, but doesn't entertain that thought for more than a few seconds. 

Once reminded by Oishi, Tezuka wishes Inui a stiff happy birthday before continuing on his way. Inui doesn't waste any time contemplating what Tezuka would have gotten him; Tezuka never buys gifts for anyone who's not having a party and the chances are seventy-two percent that his mother buys those gifts anyways.

Momoshiro and Echizen don't seem terribly interested in the topic. Eiji tells them and they wish Inui a simple happy birthday in sync before entering the tennis courts. Inui hadn't expected much else. Momoshiro is always awkward around him and Echizen keeps a fair distance from everyone when he can.

Kaidoh doesn't say anything on the subject during practice, except to say that he knows already when Eiji tries to tell him. He gives Inui a significant glance during this incident, but Inui can't place what it means.

He gives Kaidoh a little wave and Kaidoh looks away, going back to telling Eiji not to cling to him.

He loses this battle, as all people who try to keep Eiji from being touchy-feely do. 

Inui continues on and hopes he can get better at interpreting Kaidoh in the future, because he still has no idea as to the meaning of that glance.

Clearly, more data collection is in order.

\---

Inui doesn't collect as much data on Kaidoh's non-verbal signals as he would have liked during the morning. Kaidoh doesn't communicate with that many people on the team except for Momoshiro, who he communicates with much more verbally than anyone else.

The only other people he communicates with are the coach, Tezuka, and Oishi, and that's mostly when they're giving him advice. The signals for that are simple: nodding, hissing in agreement, and the occasional spoken "yes," "I understand," or "thank you." Inui has seen him ask for clarification on other days, but it doesn't happen today.

That's no matter to Inui. He'll see Kaidoh at afternoon practice and he sees him every day besides. Collecting personal data takes time, and arranging it into a cohesive whole takes even more time. Personal data is much less straightforward than tennis data.

It becomes even less straightforward when Inui gets to the clubroom after school to find Kaidoh leaning against the wall outside of it.

"Good afternoon, Kaidoh," he says, expecting that to be the extent of their non-tennis interaction.

"Senpai, would you like to jog with me after school too?"

That throws Inui for a loop. He has not been intercepting those jogs or otherwise been dropping hints that he wanted to join Kaidoh on them.

"Alright," he says despite his surprise. It's best to take advantage of situations like these. "Where would you like to meet?"

Kaidoh blinks, as if he's surprised by how well that went, or more likely because he hadn't thought of that yet.

"We could just wait up in the clubroom after we change," he says eventually, looking up at Inui though his head his bowed.

Inui nods, "That's fine. I'll talk to you then."

Kaidoh nods in turn, and they go to change into their regular uniforms.

Inui goes through the actions automatically, wondering if collecting more data will ever stop Kaidoh from exceeding his expectations.

Not that that's a bad thing, Inui reminds himself as he steps outside. People are unpredictable more often than not, even people who happen to be underclassmen with fairly consistent behavior.

\---

Inui almost forgot it was his birthday over the course of the school day, but he's reminded multiple times over the course of afternoon practice. Gossip increases by an approximate thirty percent during the afternoon, so more sub-regulars get to know, plus people are always in a better mood once school passes, which increases their likelihood of saying pleasant things like "happy birthday."

With the numerous reminders in mind, Inui tries to make everybody drink juice as his birthday present, the data would be quite valuable for his next concoction, but they refuse. 

Inui pouts about this until Eiji tells him that pouting doesn't suit him.

It feels as if afternoon practice ends earlier than usual even though Inui knows objectively that it didn't. It must be a result of his continuing good mood. It was a productive practice too, which helps time go by quicker.

After practice, Inui changes into some plain exercise clothes. He sits down on a bench while he waits for Kaidoh to finish changing. This takes a while because he's fighting with Momoshiro again.

Inui isn't terribly interested in the argument, they have somehow progressed from tennis skills to music taste, so he waits it out quietly, looking over his observations from practice and expanding upon them, drawing conclusions, plugging them into equations to create the percentages and averages he needs.

He expects Kaidoh to say something to interrupt, but once he's changed, Kaidoh simply sits down beside Inui.

Inui continues doing his work, wanting to wrap up his current train of thought, but he knows Kaidoh isn't terribly patient when he wants to exercise so he closes his notebook after a few seconds.

He stands up, stuffing his notebook into his bag, and Kaidoh stands up after him.

"Where will we be jogging?" He already knows Kaidoh's afterschool jogging route, but since Kaidoh's been subverting his data so much recently he's not sure he wants to simply assume.

"First to my house to put down our bags, then down to the river," Kaidoh answers, headed towards the door. "You've seen me there before, remember?"

Inui nods. That's Kaidoh's regular jogging route. At least that data is reliable. 

"Then I take it you will do some exercises there?"

"You already know my routine, don't you," Kaidoh grumbles.

Inui pushes up his glasses, "It's valuable data."

Kaidoh opens the door for Inui, falling in step somewhat behind him as they cross school grounds. 

\---

Inui is anticipating the chance to see Kaidoh's house, but he doesn't go far into it, only into the foyer, where he and Kaidoh put down their bags immediately.

Kaidoh calls out that he's home but he's going jogging with a friend. Kaidoh's mother then leaves the kitchen to get a look at this friend, and Inui introduces himself as formally as he can. Kaidoh's mother seems charmed and delighted to finally meet one of her son's mysterious tennis team members, but Kaidoh seems uncomfortable so he scoots Inui out the door rather quickly.

Inui can't help but be amused by this.

"I don't know what your impression of me is, but I'm perfectly polite to adults."

Kaidoh hisses in response, hunching his shoulders, "Sorry. She would have made you stay for dinner if we'd stayed longer."

"That's fine," Inui waves it off. Renji's mother was like that too.

That's not a thought he particularly wants to deal with, so he gestures down the street.

"Shall we get going?"

Kaidoh lets out what seems to be a breath of relief, "Sure."

They start off down the street as a few clouds roll across the sky.

Inui and Kaidoh jog side by side for the most part, although there's always a slight difference due to the difference in the length of their legs. But Inui tries as best he can to match Kaidoh, and excepting other pedestrians, they're more or less together the whole way.

They don't talk at all, but much like the morning, Inui finds the company itself pleasant.

When they reach the riverbank, Kaidoh finally speaks.

"I'm going to go practice in the river, but you're not wearing shorts so you might not want to."

Inui's aversion to wearing anything shorter than pants is a bit inconvenient at times. He should probably consider that a problem, but it hardly seems big enough to merit it. He's comfy enough as is.

"It's fine," Inui says, sitting down on the hillside and pulling out his stopwatch. "I'll sit here and copy the times I recorded, then I'll do my own routines."

Kaidoh nods and goes down to the river's shore, taking off his shoes and socks. 

Inui idly watches him for a moment before doing what he said he would.

The data Inui collected from the jog suggests little that Inui didn't figure out this morning, but it's nice to have numbers that support each other.

It's never the numbers that surprise Inui when it comes to Kaidoh. He's learned Kaidoh's routine, observed what he does at practice, and the rate of improvement Kaidoh shows is always steady, always going upwards even if the progress seems slow.

It's his behavior that circumvents the numbers, from his tenaciousness carrying him to unexpected victory in tennis and his upfront invitations from today and yesterday.

Inui didn't pay excessive attention to Kaidoh before he realized he'd make a suitable doubles partner, but now he's finding Kaidoh to be one of the more interesting regulars.

That's food for thought. Inui dwells on it as he starts a few idle sit-ups.

Eventually, Kaidoh strays up the hill. 

Inui tilts his head at him, "I thought you exercised for an additional half an hour."

Kaidoh's slightly out of breath now, a rare sight at times other than the evening, "I need to go to the washroom."

"I see," Inui replies as Kaidoh jogs up the hill onto the sidewalk behind him. He hasn't seen Kaidoh do that before, but it's not absolutely mind-blowing behavior. People have to use the washroom, that's a biological fact.

A few minutes of mindless exercise later, Kaidoh comes back, and as he passes Inui, he presses something cold to Inui's cheek.

Startled right out of his lying down position, Inui grabs the cool object it was to find a bottle of juice.

Kaidoh himself pulls out his water bottle.

"You bought juice only for me?" Inui asks, sounding genuinely confused this time.

Kaidoh looks at him from the corner of his eye while he drinks, then pulls the bottle away from his mouth with a large breath.

"It's your birthday, isn't it?"

"Oh."

Inui looks down at the bottle, feeling the water droplets on its side as he listens to Kaidoh drink.

"You didn't have to," he says, looking up at Kaidoh. "I told you I was feeling generous this morning."

"It's not for this morning. It's for your birthday."

Inui doubts that a bit, Kaidoh hates being indebted, but it makes him smile regardless.

"Thank you, Kaidoh."

Kaidoh grunts, and Inui has the distinct feeling he means "no problem."

They sit there in silence for a moment, Kaidoh still drinking and Inui now examining the nutritional contents of his drink.

"Say, Kaidoh."

Kaidoh looks over curiously.

"You were curious about my stopwatch this morning. Why was that?"

Kaidoh looks over to the other side of the riverbank, frowning as if that helps him remember.

"You had a watch, too."

"Huh?"

Kaidoh looks back to Inui, "I was wondering why you had both a watch and a stopwatch. It was a pretty fancy watch, I thought you'd be able to do both things on it."

Not many people notice that. Kaidoh is showing himself to be very perceptive today.

"I like being able to know the precise time and time other things consecutively," he explains. "If I used the timer on my watch, I couldn't know the precise time while I was timing something."

"Ah," Kaidoh answers.

So that was that, Inui thinks. Kaidoh takes another gulp of his water bottle.

"Do you want to go home?" Kaidoh asks. "It's your birthday, you probably have some kind of fancy dinner planned."

Inui grimaces and scratches at his neck, "I don't have any particular plans, but it's about time we finished anyways."

Kaidoh frowns as if he wants to ask, but he doesn't. Inui isn't sure whether he wanted him to or not.

They both stand up and head up the hill, walking instead of jogging this time. Inui knows Kaidoh normally jogs this stretch, but the atmosphere doesn't seem quite right for that. The sun is starting to set, and Inui finds he wants to slow down and appreciate it.

It continues like this for a while until Kaidoh clearly gets antsy and they start jogging again.

At that pace, they return to Kaidoh's house to pick up Inui's bag.

Kaidoh goes in to retrieve it, fearing his mother will invite Inui in if he so much as steps in the door this time, and once Inui takes his bag back they pause on the doorstep.

"Thank you for letting me accompany you, and also for the drink," Inui hasn't touched it yet, it's not quite as cool as before, but Inui isn't picky.

Kaidoh hisses, "It's no problem."

They fall into silence, but Inui feels he shouldn't leave.

"My mom's going to call me in for dinner in a second."

"Of course," Inui quickly collects himself. Of course he should be leaving, it would be awkward to do otherwise. "See you tomorrow, Kaidoh."

"See you then."

Inui can feel Kaidoh watching him as he walks. He opens the gate a bit more deliberately than usual in case he speaks.

"Hey, senpai?"

Inui turns around.

Kaidoh is looking down at the ground, his cheeks somewhat red.

"Have a nice birthday."

With that, he retreats inside his house, leaving Inui to pause and contemplate the moment he just witnessed.

It wasn't an outright happy birthday, but Inui finds he doesn't mind.

He pops open the juice bottle that was his gift, thinking that birthdays are all about the small things, and apparently so is Kaidoh.


End file.
